Sniffles

 We are a household of middle-aged men who are self-employed therefore we get no paid sick days, and no we did not get a flu shot. We did, however, get the flu. During that lull between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day our house kept a constant temperature of 75-degrees though you could not tell by the blankets thrown around our shoulders. The bed and the couch had someone sleeping onto at any given time and the kitchen counter became a poorly merchandised corner of the cold and flu aisle of Walgreens. Though I am going to have to back out of any ownership of the neon colored liquids and fizzing powders that was consumed very six hours. I am not a believer in self-medicating with suppressing formulas when rest, and plenty of fluids basically does the same. Yes, I did take an aspirin or two to help reduce the fever and banish the throbbing between my ears for at least half the day.

Had I not felt so spacey I might have attempted a pot of my mother’s chicken soup, or if I had a container of miso paste I would have just boiled some water, and stirred in a tablespoon for every cup. What I did have was a load of leftovers from the holiday meal that pretty much want untouched by us, and wearily consumed by our guests – I hate the idea of being the vector for an epidemic. These rich, festive scraps along with the guilt we were contagious did nothing to sooth the aches of the flu.

As I watch Hokan practically gargle with Nyquil I took the stove to put up my potion for all the ails.

It is simply copious quantities of freshly sliced ginger root brought to the boil, and then allowed to steep. Finished with fresh lemon juice and honey I was sipping this warming brew every hour I was awake. It will definitely elevated your fever slightly and make you pee as if have you have no bladder, but boy is it soothing. I augmented with drops of turmeric tincture to further help my immune system and the pain that radiated from every joint. I was sick for three miserable days and Hokan, well he is still fighting.

It was the flu not a raging bacterial infection that antibiotics could attack. Nature gave me the remedy and common sense put me to bed.